Exploring the chemical evolution in hot molecular cores

TL;DR

This study uses ALMA data to analyze the physical and chemical conditions of hot molecular cores, revealing temperature gradients and chemical evolution indicators, and compares observed abundances with chemical models.

Contribution

It provides new observational estimates of temperatures, column densities, and molecular abundances in hot molecular cores, linking these with chemical evolution models.

Findings

Temperature gradients within cores identified

Molecular abundances serve as chemical evolution tracers

Comparison with Nautilus code predictions shows promising alignment

Abstract

We present preliminary results of an extensive research project aimed at describing the physical and chemical conditions of hot molecular cores (HMCs). Using millimeter continuum and spectroscopic data extracted from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) archive, we have estimated rotational temperatures ($\rm T_{rot}$) and column densities of $\rm{CH_{3}CN}$, $\rm{CH_{3}CCH}$, and A-- and E--$\rm CH_{3}OH$ for a sample of molecular cores. We present a thermal characterization of these cores, revealing the existence of temperature gradients within them. These cores are, in turn, embedded in large molecular clouds. Additionally, we estimated molecular abundances that were evaluated as tracers of the chemical evolution of these cores. Finally, in a pilot study aimed to link observations with simulations, some of the obtained molecular abundances are compared with predictions from the Nautilus code.